Wednesday, 28 September 2016

The first one shows Stolzenfels Castle. Stolzenfels Castle is located near Koblenz in the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate. Actually built in the 13th century it was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style in the 19th century at the behest of Frederick William IV of Prussia. As part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley it is since 2002 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The second one shows Passau. Passau is a city in the German State of Bavaria near the border with Austria. It is known as City of Three Rivers, because in the city the black Ilz and the green Inn join the blue Danube. The city is also famous for its university and its Baroque cathedral.

The last one shows Weltenburg Abbey. Weltenburg Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the Danube. It is said to be the oldest monastery in Bavaria.

The card from Germany shows various views of the Rhön Mountains. The Rhön Mountains are a group of low mountains in the German States of Bavaria, Hesse and Thuringia. They are a popular tourist destination and since 1991 a Biosphere Reserve of the UNESCO. The highest mountain in the group is the Wasserkuppe.

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover.

With matching stamps:
Historic and Endangered Domestic Animal Breeds (from set of two) (issued 01-09-2016)
with a special postmark showing a Goldfinch, Germany's Bird of the Year 2016
Gliding Flight on the Wasserkuppe (issued 03-01-2011)
with a special postmark showing the Arche Rhön

Friday, 23 September 2016

It shows the Knochenhaueramtshaus in Hildesheim. The Knochenhaueramtshaus is a masterpiece of the Gothic style and is said to be the most beautiful half-timbered house in the World. It was built in 1529 as meeting place of the butchers' guild. During World War II it was destroyed, but was rebuilt between 1987 and 1989. Today it houses the Municipal Museum of Hildesheim.

The card from the USA shows the Snoqualmie Falls. The Snoqualmie Falls is one of the most popular scenic attractions in the State of Washington. It is known for its appearance in the television series Twin Peaks.

With a nice stamp:
New Marianne 0,10€
Les Légendaires (from set of two) (issued 16-09-2016)Les Légendaires is a French series of comic books created by Patrick Sobral. It tells the story of a group of heroes in a medieval fantasy world, after a disaster has brought back the population to their childhood. The stamp and the label show Jadina, Shimy and Razzia. On the label there is a QR code.
with First Day Special Postmark

With a nice stamp:
New Marianne 0,10€
Les Légendaires (from set of two) (issued 16-09-2016)The stamp and the label show Danaël and Gryf.
with First Day Special Postmark

On Tuesday I got three postcards: two from Germany and one from Hong Kong.

One of the cards from Germany shows various views of the Altes Land. The Altes Land is an area of reclaimed marshland on the river Elbe in the German States of Hamburg and Lower Saxony. It is the biggest contiguous fruit-producing region in Central Europe and has a culture dominated by farming. Especially known it is for the cultivation of apples and cherries. Jork is the centre of the area and in 1990 the Museum Altes Land (lower row second from left) opened there.

Tuesday, 20 September 2016

I ordered the new Polish Postcrossing stamp (issued 14-07-2016), the FDC of the stamp and the Postcrossing Postal card issued in 2014.

I also ordered some other stamps, which were on my wishlist for a long time:
Frozen (issued 01-06-2015)
EUROPA (issued 05-05-2015)
Polish Animated Cartoons-Reksio (whole set) (issued 20-05-2016)
25 years German-Polish Youth Office (issued 02-06-2016)It is a joint issue with Germany.

On Saturday I got three postcards: one from China, one from New Zealand and one from Brazil.

The card from China shows the monument of Kublai Khan in Xanadu. Xanadu was Kublai Khan's capital, where he established the Yuan dynasty that ruled China over a century. It was a unique attempt to assimilate the Mongolian and Han Chinese cultures. Around 1275 the city was visited by Marco Polo and in 1369 it was destroyed by the Ming army. The Site of Xanadu is since 2012 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
?
Fishes of the Coral Reef (from set of eight) (issued 22-12-1998)

On Saturday I got three postcards: one from Brazil, one from China and one from New Zealand.

The card from Brazil was printed for the 2016 Summer Paralympics. The 2016 Summer Paralympics were held in Rio de Janeiro between the 7th and the 18th September 2016. It was the first time that the Paralympics were held in South America.

With matching stamps:
Celebration of the Paralympics-Opening Ceremony (from set of three) (issued 05-08-2016)
Olympics and Paralympics (from set of sixteen) (issued 27-06-2016)

On Saturday I got three postcards: one from New Zealand, one from Brazil and one from China.

The card from New Zealand shows the Ted Ashby, one of the seaworthy ships of the New Zealand Maritime Museum. The New Zealand Maritime Museum was opened in Auckland in 1993. It houses exhibitions about New Zealand's maritime history.

Sunday, 18 September 2016

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from the United Kingdom.

The card from Germany shows Le Corbusier's duplex in the Weissenhof Estate in Stuttgart. The Weissenhof Estate is a housing estate consisting of twenty-one buildings. It was built for the Deutscher Werkbund exhibition in 1927 and was an international showcase of the International style of modern architecture. Seventeen architects were involved in the design of the buildings including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. Because of bombing damage during World War II only eleven buildings survived until today. Le Corbusier's duplex houses since 2006 the Weissenhofmuseum about the history of the Weissenhof Estate. As a part of the Architectural Work of Le Corbusier are the duplex and the House Citrohan in the Weissenhof Estate since 2016 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With a private post stamp (issued by BWPOST):
60 years Stuttgart TV Tower (from set of five) (issued 01-02-2016)

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from the United Kingdom and one from Germany.

The card from the United Kingdom shows the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. The Giant's Causeway is made up of approximately 40000 massive prismatic basalt columns sticking out of the sea. According to the legend it was built by a giant who needed a safe passage to Scotland, where he wanted to fight his rival. Nevertheless geological studies in the last 300 years have revealed that it was formed by volcanic activity more than 50million years ago. Since 1986 are the Giant's Causeway and the Causeway Coast on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
350 years Great Fire of London (from set of six) (issued 02-09-2016)

Thursday, 15 September 2016

Lübeck is the second largest city of the German State of Schleswig-Holstein. It was once the leading city of the Hanseatic League and is today still Germany's most important port on the Baltic Sea. Since 1987 is the Hanseatic City of Lübeck on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Niederegger is the most famous producer of Lübeck Marzipan. The company was founded in 1806 and now sells its products all over the World. The Café Niederegger in Lübeck's Old Town offers a shop for Niederegger sweets and a Marzipan Museum on its upper floors.

The Town Hall of Lübeck was built in the style of the Brick Gothic and became the model for other town halls in the Baltic Sea region. It was once the meeting place of the Hanseatic League.

The Holy Spirit Hospital was founded in the 13th century by rich merchants and is thus one of the oldest existing welfare institutions in the World. During the Reformation the abbey-like hospital was transformed into a usual retirement home.

Lübeck is known as City of the Seven Towers, because the seven towers of Lübeck's five main churches shape the city's skyline. The five main churches are the Lübeck Cathedral, the Church of Saint Aegidien, the Church of Saint Peter, Saint Mary's Church and the Church of Saint Jacob.

The Lübeck Cathedral was founded in 1173 by Henry the Lion. First built in the Romanesque style it was converted into a Gothic-style building between 1266 and 1335. During World War II the church was partly destroyed, but was rebuilt until 1982.

The Church of Saint Peter was first mentioned in 1170 and in the 15th century it got its modern day appearance. It was badly damaged during World War II, but it was rebuilt until 1987 without restoring the interior. Today it is not used for services anymore.

Saint Mary's Church was built between 1277 and 1351. It is located on the highest point of Lübeck's Old Town and was used as the church of Lübeck's middle classes. The church is of enormous architectural significance, as it is considered to be the mother church of the Brick Gothic. It also has the highest brick vault in the World.

The Church of Saint Jacob was consecrated in 1334. It was the church of the fishermen and seamen and is a part of the Way of Saint James.

The Holsten Gate is one of only two preserved city gates of Lübeck's medieval city fortifications. It was built in the style of the Brick Gothic in 1464. Today is the Holsten Gate a symbol of Lübeck and houses a museum about Lübeck's history.

The Lübeck Museum of Theatre Puppets is a museum about the puppetry in Africa, Asia and Europe and developed from the private collection of Fritz Fey.

The cards I bought at the museum show Chinese Shadow Puppetry (an Intangible Heritage of the UNESCO), a puppet from Gabun, German marionettes, a shadow puppet from India, marionettes from Myanmar, puppets for the Turkish Karagöz (an Intangible Heritage of the UNESCO) and Moomins.

The Willy Brandt House was opened in 2007. It houses an exhibition about the life of Willy Brandt, the former Federal Chancellor and Nobel Prize Winner who was born in Lübeck.

The Buddenbrookhaus was the location of Thomas Mann's novel "Buddenbrooks". Today it houses a museum with two exhibitions, one about the Mann family and one about the novel.

The European Hansemuseum is the World's largest museum about the history of the Hanseatic League. The exhibition is divided between the new building and the historic Burgkloster. The museum was opened in 2015.